Method of refining iron.



To nltwhcinfiifmd concern/.2 r Be t known that 1,; Paun SnJonnnn r, a 1 ofthe ltepublic ffrance, residing in E a e, h ave inyented, certainnew and Whichreact liberate gases (an oxid e idsmct wh m a, W en, the lt n metal cools, crystals of ferrite (substantially pureriren) ,separate and the liquid mass,

forming a sort of mother liquor, becomes richer in foreign elements, notablyvinnarbon.

hasincreased, the reactions, hitherto limited by the (hint/1011, begin again. In an analogous manner occluded gases other than oxid t of carbon are expelled physically or otherwise at a given moment, which is the more quickly attained the more the metal in the ingot mold approaches ure iron, this expulsion becomesimpossib e, and the gases are confined. From this, many inconveniences arise. p

The present inventionobtains an ingot or other casting of steel or iron substantially without carbon and which remains tranquil jaftercasting. By an extension of the proce ess aprooluct may be obtainedwhichis also substantially free from iron oxid. By substantially free? 7 i a is meant containing either none whatever of the element in question, or only extremeysmall pro ortions thereof in.- sufiicient'to have harmful effects. This new metal is obtained by manufacturing steel in the usual'waysojas to obtain, for example, extra soft steel which has not beendeoxidized, and by cooling this steel in the furnace either by radiation, or otl'ierwise; for example,;bylthe introduction of a certain roportionof suitablecold metal, suchas t at de- [rived from previous operations. Thecooling is proceeded with until the steel has at least in part solidified and bubbling has practically ceased. The solidification may be METHOD onitnnr'nme men.

- garm tsinMethQdaof Re r r a, 9 th e lqwmaisa sp fic the known, arnetallurgical processes for r When the concentrationg, of these elements UNITED STATES PAT OFFICE rAU ii sEJoURNE or PimsrnANcE, assienoaro fiOCIETE ELEGTRO METALLuReiQUn 1 it i y r FRANGAISEQOF FROGES, FRANCE. r l

Specif cation f Letters Patent, Patented July 20, 196i); liii liation med tin is, i906. Sa Nd. 326,715.

i :2 l l L 1 H 1 is I Hui ,complete or may be continued until the mass 1s ataten nerature lowerrthan thatwof solidi- ,ficationw V n, the molten steel the oxid-is usur ally in excess iohthe quantity necessary ,for 3;; 1

combining with the carbon, and substantially all of the carbon will be eliminated, by the concentration of the mother liquor chemical reactions above described, There u \onthe; metal is remelted underconditions w iich will prevent its recarburizingg, H After theremelting, the metal .may -beicastinto ingot inoldsorthe like, where it wilhremain tranquil.

manner or. not, any particularustajge,ofpthe coohng that is; favorable being prolonged;

the, same remarkaapplies, to the reheating;

Generally the operation isuconducted an electric steel furnace of anyknownrkindm which ,the metal can be protected front ,all carburizing action. Such, an electric steel furnace lends itself particularly well to, the work, facilitating such variations as ritQ-may seernlusefultozmalre in the-rapidityandthe continuity or the discontinuity of the cooling or of the reheating. Once the molten iron is thus freed from carbon, it may be cast as it isythat is to say, containing a certain pro-- portion of oxid. It may be cast in ingot molds, and 1t Wlll remain tranquil therein provided that it does not come in contact with carbonaceous particles; if the molds are a of cast iron, it is advisable, therefore, to line them first with a material free from carbon to prevent immediate contact of the metal with the cast iron.

The new metal thus obtained the manufacture of objects of pure iron, forged, laminated, or cast, and particularly applicable for the construction of electrical or mechanical apparatus.

If desired, the decarburized metal may be deoxldlzed by adding noncarburized (lBOX1 dants, such as aluminum; there is thus obtained a new metal decarburized and deoxidlzed whlch 1s equally applicable to the aforesaid uses.

It is obvious that by this process small proportions of oxid or of oxygen may be expelled from a carburizegl metal, the cooling being ushed to congelation; on the other hand, y adding oxid to a mother liquor rich in carbon so that reactions may occur uninterrupted by the dilution, the purification, by ellmination of carbon, from an oxidized andsithe if it be deemed ,advisabl eethe cooling may be, conducted in a continuous :1

is useful for i i that the deoxidized steel If care is taken is protected from metal may be achieved.

fresh contamination, the and will remain tranquil withoutdeoxidizing addition.

It is well known that metal containing oxid of iron and carbon upon cooling gradually segregates the oxid of iron and a large proportion of the carbon.

metal may be cast,

iron, which consists in cooling low carbon steel from a molten condition until it is at east in part solidified, and the carbon therein has been oxidized by the contained oxygen and the oxid or oxids of carbon driven off, and remelting in the absence of carburizing conditions.

2. The process of formingingots of decar- These elements burized iron, which consists in forming steel in the origmal mass were diluted to such a; of low carbon and hlghly oxidized composidegree as to avoid any reaction between tion in molten condition, cooling it until it is them. When, however, they are segregated in the course of cooling the mass they benotwithstanding the lower action takes place between the carbon and the oxid of iron, generating carbon monoxid which is ex elled as a gas' This is the familiar bubb ing effect noticeable in the cooling of cast steel ingots. It is this reaction between the segregated oxid of iron and the 1 carbon which is utilized by my invention. In my experiments I have carried-this oper ation so far as to reduce the carbon in the steel or iron to 0.008 per cent.,a practically negligible amount. It must be understood that the carbon and the oxid of iron co-eXist in the molten metal without reacting u on each other as long as the entire mass is mo ten. It is after a partial solidification and the segregation and consequent concentration of the carbon and oxid that the reactions above referred to take place.

I claim as my invention 1. The processof obtaining decarburized at least in part solidified and theoarbon therein has been oxidized by the contained come concentrated to such an extent that j oxygen and the oxid or oxids of carbon temperature a redriven off, remelting in the absence of carburizlng conditions, and casting into molds.

3. The process of obtaining decarburized and deoxidized iron, which consists in cooling low carbon steel from a molten condition until it is at least in part solidified and the carbon therein has been oxidized by the contained oxygen and the oxid or oxids of carbon driven off, and. remelting in theabsence of carburizing conditions and adding adeoxidant which is free from carbon to remove substantially all of the iron oxid, thus obtaining a product substantially free from carbon and free from oxid. In witness whereof, I have hereunto slgned my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

7 PAUL SEJOURNET. Witnesses:

T. W. MARTIN, J. BLAoHERis. 

